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(No Model.) 3 Sheets Sheet 1.- H. AIKEN. MILL APPLIANGE. No. 439,828. Patented Nov. 4, 1890.

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3 Sheets-Sheet 2.

(No Model.)

H. AIKEN. MILL APPLIANGE.

Patented Nov. 4. 1890.

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(No Model.)

3 Sheets-Sheet 3.

H. AIKBN. MILL APPLIANUB.

Patented Nov. 4, 1890.

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INVENTOR UNTTED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

HENRY AIKEN, OF PITTSBURG, PENNSYLVANIA.

MILL APPLIANCE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 439,828, dated November 4, 1890.

Application filed January 9, 1890. Serial No. 336,401. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, HENRY AIKEN, of Pittsburg, in the county of Allegheny and State of Pennsylvania, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Mill Appliances, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description, reference. being had to the accompanying drawings, forming part of this specification, in which- Figure 1 is a side elevation of my improved ingot-extractor, the cylinders being shown in vertical section. Fig. 2 is a side elevation of a modified construction, shown partly in section. Fig. 3 is a side elevation of a third modified form, shown partly in section. Fig. 4. is a sectional plan view of the apparatus shown in Fig. 3, the section-plane being on the line IV IV of Fig. 3.

Like symbols of reference indicate like parts in each.

Referring to Fig. l, 2 represents an upright hydraulic cylinder having water-inlet passage 3 and a vertically-movable ram 4. 5 is a jib set on the ram and adapted to belifted thereby, said jib being guided in its vertical motions by the upright beams of the mast 6. 7 8 are slides or shoes which are secured, respect- "fively, to the jib and to an upwardly-extending part of the ram, and which bear against the beams of the mast, as shown in Fig. 1. The end of the jib 5 projects between the beams of a second mast 10 over the plunger 1l 0f an auxiliary hydraulic cylinder f). The masts 6 and 10 may be connected at the top by plates 12, to which is secured a hydraulic cylinder 13, provided with a supply-pipe 14., entering below the piston, the piston-rod or plunger 15 of which cylinder projects vertically downwardly between the masts 6 and 10 and through a guide between the beams of the jib and performs the function of a resistance-post, as hereinafter described. 'lo afford means for suspending the ingot-mold from the j ib, I place on the latter wheels 16, which are provided with suspending-chains 17 and are pivotally connected by rods 18 with a collar 19, loosely set on the post 15, so as to be capable of free longitudinal motion thereon.

The operation of the apparatus as thus constructed is as follows: To extract an ingot from its mold, the latter is carried in an upright position 011 a mold-car 20, directly beneath the plunger or post 15. It will be understood that the metal ingot maybe teemed into the mold while it is on the car, or that, having been teemed thereinto in the usual casting-pit, the mold may be lifted and placed' upon the car. \Vhen the mold is in position beneath the post 15, the chains 17 are hooked into the usual lugs at the top of the mold. This is done by merely hooking one of the chains into one of the lugs of the mold, because as the arms 18 are of equal length, and as the wheels at their ends must therefore be constantly equidistant from the post 15, the movement of one of the chains directly above the lug will move its arm 1S and the collar 19 so as to bring the other chain 17 into position to automatically hook into the other lug. Then the attachment of the chains to the mold has been made, the water is exhausted from the under side of the piston of the cylinder 13, thus permitting the post l5 to drop by gravity and to engage the top of the ingot in the mold. The valve in the pipe 28,which connects the upper end of the cylinder with an elevated waste and reservoir, is then closed, so as to confine in the cylinder the body of water above the pist-on and to prevent the post 15 from rising. lVater is then admitted into the cylinder 2, so as to lift its plunger and the jib and to raise the mold, which is suspended by thc chains 17. The ingot within the mold is prevented from lifting by the resistance of the post 15, and hence the rise of the jib strips the mold from the ingot, leaving V the latter standing on the car. If the friction of the ingotin the mold should oppose too much resist-ance to the action of the cylinder 2, water may be admitted into the other cylinder 9, whose plunger, bearing on the jib, will exert thereon an additional lifting force. It is of course desirable that the post 15 should Abear directly upon the center of the top of the ingot, and if when the mold is carried on the car under the post it is found that the ingot is not in such `central position it may be centered by slightly raising the jib after the chains have been attached, but before the plunger or post 15 has been lowered. The

IOO

mold being then supported freely from the jib, the connection of the arms 18 will cause it to swing by gravity into anexactly central position relatively to the post. When the mold has beenstripped from the ingotv and elevated abovc the top thereof, the post 15 is raised from the ingot by means of the cylinder 13, and the car carrying the ingot may then be moved off to the heating-furnace or other place and the mold lowered upon another car brought into position to receive it, or the car carrying the ingot may be moved forward a little and the mold then deposited on the bed of the car back of the ingot.

It will be observed that during the work of stripping the mold the post 15 does not bear down on the ingot with any considerable force, but merely oifers resistance thereto, so that no injurious strain is exerted on the body or frame of the car requiring it to be made of undue weight and strength. Although this is a feature of special advantage which I intend to claim specifically, I do not desire to limit the generic claim of this patent to the absence of downward pressure on the ingot, since, broadly speaking, it would be within the scope of my invention to employ a post or plunger which is made to engage the ingot by a positive pushing force. In cases where the function of the post l5 is merely to oppose resistance to the ingot, so that lifting the mold will strip it, it is practicable to ein ploy instead of the hydraulic cylinder 13 other mechanical meanse-such as gearingfor operating the post, and such devices I intend to include Within the scope of my claims in the absence of expressed limitations to the contrary. It will also be observed by the skilled mechanic that while the mast 10 is desirable for use in connection with the cylinder 9 to give steadiness of motion to the jib it is not essential and may be omitted. The auxiliary cylinder 9 may also be omitted in cases where the main cylinder is of sufficient capacity and power to perform the work alone. The jib 5 may be arranged to be radially rotary, so that in addition to its use as an ingot-extractor the apparatus may be used in general mill-work in the manner of an ordinary crane. .This I represent in Fig. 2. In the apparatus as shown in this figure the cylinder 2 is stationary; but theplunger which carries the jib is not only vertically movable within the cylinder, but is rotary therein, the mast ofthe crane being also `journaled in the usual top bearing or steadiment 21 and in a base socket or step 22. The cylinder 13 is secured by brackets to the mast 6, and the post 15 extends downwardly through a guide in the jib, being preferably situate in as close proximity to the mast as practicable. apparatus as thus constructed is the same as before explained with reference to Fig. 1. Before stripping the mold the jib is swung around into proper position, so that its end shall -be directly above the auxiliary cylinder 9. When not in use for extracting ingots, the crane may be put to any other use, and for The operation of thev this purposeI show it. provided with the usual traveler or trolley 23.

In the manner illustrated in Fig. 2 my improvement may be applied to cranes of any ordinaryconstruction without materially encumberin g them orimpairing their utility for other uses.

In Fig. 3 I showa form of my invention in which two rotary cranes are used together as an ingot-extractor, each one being capable of use to serve the purpose of an auxiliary lifting device to the other. The masts of the two cranes are set side by side, but somewhat separated from each other, and between them is a vertical frame 24, in which is the cylinder 13, the post 15, and a vertically-sliding block or frame 25, to which the lifting-chains 17 are attached and through which the post 15 passes loosely. At the sides of the block 25 are horizontally-projecting shoulders 26. When not used for extracting ingots, the cranes may be used in the ordinary way. When, however, it is desired to use theml for extracting ingots, the mold having been placed under and held by the post and the chains 17 attached, the jibs are swung around into position beneath the shoulders 26, as shown in Fig.4,.and then by lifting the j ib of either orboth cranes the frame 25 is elevated and the mold is stripped from the ingot. The frame 25 is prevented by stops 27 from descending below the lowest position of the jib.

In the foregoing description it will be apparent that many changes in the form, position, and relative arrangement of the parts may be made by the skilled mechanic without departing from the principles of my invention as set forth in the claims, and I wish it to be understood that although I have described and shown in detail those forms of my invention which I'deem to be the best I do not intend by such detailed description to limit myself particularly thereto t-o the exclusion of other equivalent forms. For example,

I believe that I am the iirst to remove an ingot from its mold by applying resistance to the ingot and drawing the mold from it, and I desire to claim this, broadly.

The advantages of my invention will be appreciated by those skilled in the art. The ingot-ej ectors heretofore commonly used have been expensive in their construction and require a very considerable amount of labor in their operation, involving frequent and laborious handling of the mold and of the ingot, and must be adjusted to suit molds of diiferent sizes. They are usually operated by placing the mold in a horizontal position and pushing the ingot from it, and the friction and scraping of the in got are very destructive to the mold, wearing it out very rapidly. This is avoided by the use of my improvement, in which the mold is stripped vertically from the ingot.

My improved apparatus is simple in its construction, is easy to operate, and by making IOO it unnecessary to handle the ingotl after the mold is stripped therefrom the labor required is reduced to a minimum. The apparatus may also be used with molds of different sizes and requires no special adjustment, as do the in got-ej ectors of the sort heretofore employed.

The items of invention which I desire to claim herein are concisely indicated in the following claims:

I claim- 1. In ingot-extract-ing apparatus, the combination of mold-lifting mechanism and a stop by which the ingot is held from being lifted with the mold, substantially as and for the purposes described. y

2. In iugm-extracting apparatus, the combinat-ion of mold-lifting mechanism,a stop by which the ingot may be restrained from being lifted with the mold, and holding mechanism by which the stop is held in a stationary position against the ingot Without substantial down-pressure thereon, substantially as and for the purposes described.

3. In ingot-extracting apparatus,- the combiuation of mold-lifting mechanism, a verti` cally-movable post by which the ingot is held from being lifted with the mold, and a hydraulic cylinder by means of which the post is vertically movable, substantially as and for the purposes described.

4. In ingot-eXtracting apparatus, the combination of the jib and jib-lifting cylinder, a post adapted to bear on the ingot and to preventit from beinglifted with themold,arms I8, connected with a longitudinally-movable collar on the post and having a .bearing on the jib, and suspending devices connected With the arms and adapted to be connected with the mold to lift the same, substantially as and for the purposes described.

of the cylinder, a water-pipe entering the other end, and a valve by which the Water may be conned, substantially as and for the purposesdescribed.

6. In ingot-extracting apparatus, the combination, with the vertically-movable jib, its lifting-cylinder, and stop for preventing rise of the ingot, of an auxiliary cylinder adapted to assist the first-named cylinder in raising the jib, substantially as and for the purposes described.

7. The combination, with a crane having a vertically and radially movable jib, of a post on the crane, and mold-lifting mechanism which is raised by the jib, substantially as and for the purposes described.

8. The combination, With a crane having a lvertically and radially movable jib, of a post Which passes through the jib, and mold-lifting mechanism which is raised by the j ib, substantially as and for the purposes described.

9. In ingot-extracting apparatus, the combination, with a stop and mold-lifting mechanism, of a car movable to carry a mold in an upright position beneath the stop, substantially as and for the purposes described.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand this 6th day of January, A. D. 1890.

HENRY AIKEN.

Vitnesses:

W. B. CoRWIN, JN0. K. SMITH. 

